


Breathe

by Uncoolacronym



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Depression, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Volume 3 Spoilers, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-07-14 08:08:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7161752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Uncoolacronym/pseuds/Uncoolacronym
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not everyone who is strong can endure forever. Not everyone who looks happy is actually happy. Not everyone who presents themselves as 'fine', actually are. In fact, it's those people who are usually the most miserable.<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beer Bottles

How many beers had he drank? He honestly didn't know. He didn't care either, because it didn't matter. He just wanted to forget. He just wanted to numb himself to all of this chaos. Yang was depressed, and never left her room. Ozpin was still missing. The nations were at each others throats. They were on the brink of war, against more than one thing.

Things weren't going to be fixed after they had been broken this severely. Not completely. The rules would change to accommodate this twisted world around them, but everything would remain shattered. Just knowing that drove Qrow crazy. 

He polished off another beer, and waved for another one. Empty bottles surrounded him, suffocating him with the scent on alcohol, but he didn't care. It didn't matter. Nothing did. Not right now. The only thing that did matter, was the feeling of cool glass pressing against his lips, and the burn the alcohol made as he greedily gulped it down.

His vision was blurred, the controls to his body felt inverted, and he was pretty sure he was swaying in his seat. He stopped sucking his drink down and panted for the oxygen that his body so desperately needed. Everything felt hot. His skin felt clammy. He was roasting alive, but there was nothing he could do about it right now. He was in a public place, getting undressed here would be considered indecent. Qrow could wait. That's what he was good for.

Another drink. He was drowning. One more sip. He couldn't breath. The bottle was empty. More water added to the sea. 

Qrow clumsily raised his hand, and another drink was plopped down in front of him. The bartender looked sorry for him. Qrow didn't like pity. He downed half the bottle.

Suddenly, the cool glass was pulled away from his lips, causing some of the mind numbing poison to run down his chin. He faintly registered a warm pressure around his wrist, and the fact that he was leaning against a breathing wall. The touch burned. Everything burned. The sea was boiling. He was drowning. Breathe, he needed to breathe.

"I think you've had enough." Qrow was powerless to stop the gloved hand from yanking the bottle out of his grasp, and setting it down on the counter in front of him. "It's like you're trying to drink yourself to death."

"Maybe I am." Qrow said, or at least tried to. The words came out as incoherent drunken mumbling. It was hard to keep his head straight. It was lolling from side to side. He was dizzy. He felt sick, but he refused to let the bile come up. He wouldn't seem weaker than he already was.

"Come on." Swim to me. The words were gentle. Who was this? "Stand up. I'll help you stay balanced." I'll help you stay afloat.

Qrow felt himself be pulled off the stool. His legs were wobbly, and he was too intoxicated to be able to use them. The best he could do was stand. He couldn't walk on his own. He could barely breathe on his own. 

The person sighed, before picking Qrow up bridal style, and proceeding to carry him. Qrow was floating. Qrow was burning. 

Even though his vision was blurry, he could still make out that the person who was James Ironwood. Why was he helping Qrow swim? James hated him. Shouldn't he be letting Qrow drown. This didn't make sense. He couldn't understand.

Qrow closed his eyes, breathing in as deeply as he could. They were too heavy to keep open. He kept his eyes closed as he felt himself being placed in the seat of a car. Qrow listened to the buckle click in place, and was too numb to wince as the car door slammed closed. The ride was a blur, but he snapped back when he felt the car stop rumbling. They had arrived to wherever James had taken him. 

His eyes cracked open to see an impressive looking mansion. This was definitely the place James had rented out. Though, this place couldn't even compare to James' house in atlas. That much Qrow knew, even if his mind was nothing more than putty right now.

Suddenly, he felt himself being carried again, then he felt something soft beneath him. Everything was beginning to blur together. He was sinking back underneath the scalding hot waves. The heat had multiplied ten fold on Qrow's forehead. James must he touching him there.

"You're way too hot." He heard James mutter. He was burning. Qrow would normally make some inappropriate quip about what James had said, but right now, he was too focused on trying to breathe. "You must be boiling." Qrow was drowning in a burning ocean. Even other people recognized it.

He felt his shirt being unbuttoned, before being taken off completely, though his pants were left on. He felt his shoes and socks being taken off, and a thin sheet was dragged over him. James' hand breached the waves, pulling Qrow back atop the waters surface.

"J'ms." Qrow choked out. His tounge felt heavy, and it was hard to control. 'L'me bre'the." His head rolled from side to side, trying to regain control of his body. "Ne'd t' br'the." 

"You can breathe, Qrow." James' voice was enough to cool the ocean. It wouldn't be long before it burned him again, but even so, it was relieving. "Breathe."

Breathe. Breathe. Qrow was floating. Qrow was breathing. It didn't burn. 

Qrow breathed, and he didn't sink back into the abyss as everything faded to black. In and out. Inhale, exhale. Fade away into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Concern

His head was tearing apart. It pounded and pounded with enough force to shake the earth. He raked his fingers through his matted hair, and pulled hard. The new pain did little to distract him from this hangover though.

Qrow felt his stomach lurch. He was going to be sick. He looked around the room franticly, luckily seeing a small garbage bin that had crumpled up papers inside. In mere seconds, he was hunched over the bin, puking his guts up. The stomach acid burned his throat, and his headache got worse. It wasn't long before he ran out of stuff to throw up, and now he was dry heaving. It wasn't really surprising, considering the fact that he hasn't been eating much lately.

After that fiasco was over, Qrow realized that he didn't recognize the room. He barely remembered that James had picked him up last night, so he didn't need to worry. He was still floating. The skull splitting pain throbbing in his head distracted him from his worrying anyway. 

He knew something that would dull the pain. An ancient remedy called 'drinking more booze.' Though, just his luck, he couldn't find his flask anywhere. In fact, he couldn't find his shirt, or his shoes either. That, along with his cape and scythe.

He groaned, curling up on the floor beside the trash can. It was freezing. How cold did James keep his house? Through, the tin man probably had some sort of air conditioner in him, so that made a bit of sense.

Suddenly, he heard the door creak open, a sound that made searing pain flash across his head. Qrow made a low keening noise, pulling at his hair even more. If he hadn't been so stupid, if he could just control himself, he wouldn't be in this mess. He wouldn't be sinking in a sea of booze, and loneliness.

Qrow was expecting the tin man to lecture him about substance control right then and there, but that wasn't what he got. Instead, he heard something being set on the desk, and someone sitting him up. "Qrow." James whispered quietly, for that Qrow was thankful. "I brought you some coffee. That should help." James' human hand placed itself on Qrow's forehead, and the military general hummed in obvious distaste.

Last night, he remembered boiling alive. Now, he's going to freeze to death. He wouldn't let anyone know this though, because it would cause them to worry. They didn't need to waste their energy doing that, because whatever funk Qrow was in would pass in time. He just needed to get over himself. Suddenly, something hot was being placed in his hands, interrupting his train of thought.It was the coffee. 

"Drink this." James's voice echoed in Qrow's ears, "I'll take care of the garbage can."

James had left, and Qrow was alone once again. Qrow sipped the coffee. It tasted good. He swallowed, and could feel the warmth of it run down into his stomach. The ocean wasn't freezing anymore, and he was still floating. It was odd, but he embraced this feeling, relishing it while it was still there.

It wasn't long before the whole cup was gone. He got up and curled himself up in the sheet before exiting the room to wander around. Stupid military generals and their stupid big houses. It was only a matter of minutes before he became lost. His bare feet padded along the hardwood floors, looking for a window at least. Some clothes would be nice as well, but beggars can't be choosers. His gait was shaky and slow. The waters of the sea were rough, but his head was above water.

But, just his luck, as he turned a corner, he ran into none other than the tin man himself. "Qrow?" James asked, a surprised look on his face. It was obvious that he hadn't expected Qrow to be walking around just yet. "How are you feeling? Did you need something?"

"Yeah." Qrow drawled, voice even more ragged than it usually was. Talking hurt. A lot. His head pounded, causing his world to shake, but he stood strong. "Can I know where my stuff is?" Saying that caused Ironwood to frown. Qrow didn't know why, but he didn't care. He wasn't one to be babied, especially not by someone who hated him. 

Just act snarky. This mood will pass, and he'll still be drowning. Just like he always was.

"Well..." James looked a bit sheepish. "You're clothes are drying now... You spilt beer all over them." That much was understandable. "Your scythe, and scroll, are in the living room, on the table." Qrow nodded, noticing that the general didn't mention his flask. If only he could find the stupid living room. Stupid huge house. How could anyone find their way through this labyrinth?

"Are you hungry? Do you think you could stomach breakfast?" James asked, and Qrow suppressed a sigh. Breakfast sounded horrible, Qrow wasn't hungry at all. Then again, he was never hungry anymore, it was like his appetite had completely diminished. Though that may be, if he didn't eat this breakfast, he'd no doubt get an earful from the tin man, so the decision was easy.

"Eh, sure. I think I can handle that much." He grimaced. Talking was really hard today. Not to mention, his tongue felt heavy and uncoordinated, so his words were slurred, as well as slow. That, accompanied with the fact that his head was literally going to explode. "Do you have any pain pills?"

James, once again, frowned. That was sure getting annoying. "I'm not going to let you have any pain medicine. You've had a lot of alcohol, and I'm not sure if it's still in your system. I know that mixing alcohol and prescription drugs are never a good thing, so tough luck. Even if you do have a fever, I can't give you any." Qrow glared at the military general, but he was sure that it came off weak, as moving his eyebrows caused him a great deal of pain. "As for breakfast," Jim drawled, a small smile appearing on his face. "It'll be ready in a few minutes."

~ 

Qrow's headache had alleviated a bit more by the time that breakfast was done. His clothes had finished washing, and they were still warm from the dryer, so he wasn't shivering anymore. He still had the sheet wrapped around him though, because the warmth wouldn't last forever. His scythe and scroll were handed back to him, but his flask wasn't, which was annoying.

James had prepared him an omelette, some toast, and some sort of pastry. All of that was accompanied with a tall glass of milk. Qrow took a sip, and frowned. The thing wasn't even spiked. Nevertheless, he ate, and, as much as he hated to admit it, James was a really good cook.

The two made small talk, and it actually wasn't half bad. But before long, Qrow got fidgety, skin burning for a drink. This is the longest he had been sober in over a month. Obviously, James had noticed this, and made the mistake of saying, "I think you need professional help."

Qrow immediately dropped his fork onto his half-eaten omelette. "Excuse me?" Qrow growled, glaring up at Ironwood with as much venom as he could muster. "Care saying that again? I don't think I heard you right."

James the repeated himself, much to Qrow's distaste. Unfortunately, the man just kept talking. "Listen, having you as your regular drunk self is one thing, but last night, you couldn't even walk on your own. Not to mention, you've lost weight, and you were already skinny enough to begin with. You're hair is messy, and not in that usual bed head style you keep it in. You look sick, Qrow."

Qrow growled again, fists clenched tightly, and his jaw set. He hasn't been looking at himself in the mirror lately, so he honestly wouldn't know. But one thing was certain. "I will not see a therapist, Jimmy."

"There's nothing wrong with talking to someone." James tried, speaking calmly, and professionally. "I know some great therapists as well."

"Oh yeah, and how would you know that?" Qrow sneered, wishing he had his flask. He knew that he was getting snippy, even more so without alcohol, and James knew this too.

"Need I remind you that the left half of my body is metal? How would I not know?" James answered. The patience in the man's voice made Qrow want to punch him in the face, but Qrow restrained himself. He could at least do that much. What he couldn't restrain, was the tears that welled up in his eyes, but he wouldn't allow himself to cry. Not here. Not in front of someone.

"Qrow..." James' voice took on a more gentle tone, and that was the last straw for Qrow.

He abruptly stood up, his chair being pushed back so roughly that it fell on it's back. "No." He turned to the open kitchen window, which James had no-doubt opened while he was cooking, and stomped over to it. He couldn't deal with this. His head was killing him, he felt like he was going to throw up, and he was dead tired. Qrow just wanted to curl up underneath a blanket, and stay there forever. 

"Wait!" James called after him, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. It was rude of me." Qrow huffed. It almost sounded like James was worried about him. What a joke. "At least finish breakfast!" Qrow ignored James, and perched himself on the window sill. He could go eat at the bar, and have a drink too. Something to calm his nerves.

"What about your flask?"

Qrow choked a laugh. It sounded hollow, even to his own ears. "Keep it!" He shouted back, surprising himself as well as James when he said it. It didn't matter, he could just buy a new one. 

When he leapt from the window, he knew he was drowning once again.


	3. Loneliness

Here he was, drowning himself in alcohol once again. What a surprise. That's all he seemed to do anymore. It was late. It was raining. Qrow was soaking wet and shivering, but it didn't matter. Nothing did. Nothing ever did.

He was slumped over on a park bench, practically breathing in his whisky from the new flask he bought. He liked his old one better. It had sentimental value. Though that may be, he would rather have a new one than face the tin man again. He'd rather be alone than be pitied.

He could feel how cold his loneliness had become. He was freezing until he was numb, though, his body never stopped shivering. He drank. He drowned. He repeated the process over and over again, until his flask was empty. 

The rain started to pelt down harder, and Qrow decided to finally open up his umbrella. Just as he did, his scroll dinged. It was a message from Taiyang. Apparently his friend wanted to have dinner together, because Ruby hadn't stopped asking about him.

Uh oh. If what the tin man said was true, and Qrow really looked sick, then they would know that something was wrong, and he'd be pitied even more. He had to think of excuses. His flask was empty, so that could be one- no. That would make Taiyang go on his whole spree about how Qrow should drink less. 

Well, it has been raining. Qrow could just say he was sick. Taiyang would mother hen, but it would be better than him finding out that Qrow was in some sort of funk. But... Tai was his best friend. He would know that something was wrong. Perhaps it was best to lie. Yes, Qrow couldn't let Tai or the girls see him like this, they would always worry about him when he was sick. In a few days he would be better, but not right now. Though that may be, this flu, or whatever, was making him miserable. It was odd that he hadn't exhibited any symptoms though, but now was not the time to worry.

He sent, 'sorry i got a lot on my plate right now'.

Of course, being the understanding pudding cup he was, Tai responded with, 'No worries, but take it easy,' and that made Qrow only feel worse. Why was Tai always so nice, especially when Qrow was a huge jerk to everyone. Qrow sunk deeper.

Qrow sighed deeply, deciding to get somewhere warm before he got frostbite. He knew a few ways to get warm fast, and whiskey was all of them. It was an easy decision. He headed towards the nearest pub, shoulders slumped, and body quaking. Only, just his luck, it was closed due to bad weather. That was just great.

Now what was he supposed to do? His body was numb, he was pretty sure he was going to get frost bite, and he really needed some whisky right now. Something to make him forget the world.

Qrow groaned, and pressed his forehead against the cool glass, trying to think about what he was going to do. Walk. Walking! People walked when they see drying to de-stress, right?

It was better than nothing, so Qrow started walking. He went fast, his step frantic. Qrow was practically jogging, but he had to get his mind off of alcohol. He didn't need it, it wasn't an addiction, and he'd prove it right now. He could go a few hours without it. 

Unconsciously, his free hand started to scratch his arm that was holding the umbrella. The more steps he took, the angrier he got. Why did he want a drink this bad, was he really this weak? Was he so pathetic as to actually be addicted?

But he wasn't addicted. Then why was he tearing the skin off his arm? There were no answers for that, so Qrow pushed it out of his mind. 

The rain pelted harder, and his shoes had been soaked through. He kept walking with a vigorous pace, jaw clenching and unclenching. He needed a distraction, and he needed it now.

Qrow looked around desperately, looking for something, anything, that could take his mind off of this temptation. But, nothing came. Just people hurrying in the rain, ignoring one another. It was hard to realize that those where living beings, and not robots. 

People often forgot that they existed, and if they did that, other people were merely toys. Qrow often felt like he was the only one who thought about this kind of stuff. Existance, the fact that people had turned into machines, what everything was really worth. What he was really worth.

Qrow stopped walking entirely, lost in thought. 

What was he really worth? What was the point in him existing at all? To protect Ruby and Yang. To get information to keep the kingdom secure. To be the drunk man that everyone laughed at. He was the one that reminded people that they had their lives together, because he certainly didn't. 

"Dude?" A voice pulled him out of his daze, only to see a ram faunus standing in front of him. What tipped him off was the huge ram horns, and the matching ears. How did that boy keep his head up straight, Qrow would never know. But, Qrow actually recognized the boy. 

The kid was one of the fighters at the tournament who represented Shade Academy, and his name was something along the lines of Ryvis. The kicker was, Ryvis was blind, and wore a blindfold to mock whoever he beat. The kid fought with an electric whip, and was actually pretty good. Though, he got beat by that Flynt Coal kid. His trumpet was too loud for Ryvis to handle, not that Qrow could blame him. Being blind already added a lot to hearing, but being a faunus as well pretty much maxed it out.

"What's up kid?" Qrow asked, sounding as nonchalant as he could.

"Don't think too hard, dude, it'll mess you up." Ryvis said, completely dodging the question. When the boy turned to leave, Qrow stopped him. 

"Wait," he said, "how did you know I was-"

"Thinking too hard?" Qrow nodded, but then remembered that the boy was bling. Though, Ryvis started talking anyway, as if he had seen Qrow do it. "I can hear you from across the street, dude."

"Wait, thinking makes noise?" That was news to Qrow.

"Yeah, dude." The boy said, grinning childishly. "But you wouldn't understand that."

Qrow opened his mouth to speak again, but Ryvis put up a hand to stop him. "Listen, dude. You're cool and all, but I got to meet up with friends. I'm already late as it is." With that, the boy ran down the street, dodging people expertly.

Qrow huffed. Seriously, what was with all of the 'dudes?' At least it took his mind of alcohol- and there Qrow was, thinking about it again.

No, no. He could go without booze for an hour or two. It wasn't a problem. It wasn't an addiction. He wasn't drowning. He wasn't.

But Qrow knew he was lying to himself, and that scared him. Each step he took, he sunk deeper. Each lie he told himself, he froze more and more. He was scared, but he would never admit it, least of all to himself.


	4. Worries

James, contrary to popular belief, actually liked Qrow. Sure, the man was frustrating sometimes, but isn't everyone? Plus, it was one of the more charming things about Qrow. How could a man who's seen so much still be so childish? James envied that. 

He wished that he could have such a carefree personality, but he couldn't. Not anymore. Not after the battles he had fought in, not after he lost the left half of his body, and certainly not now. Especially not after loosing... Penny. He used to be laid back, and now he was always prim and proper. Perhaps it was his way to cope with everything. To show no weakness, so the enemy has the disadvantage.

He turned the the shower handle, so that the water was hotter. He had finished washing his body a while ago, but still relaxed as the steam rose up. He'd run out of warm water any minute now, so he relished the feeling while he could. 

He rocked back and forth on his feet, closing his eyes, and letting his mind run free. He wondered on what he should snack on later, since just about anything else would stress him out. He had attended to many meetings today that he just couldn't think about big decisions. 

In all honesty, James felt like he was going to loose it. He had gotten stress induced panic attacks before, and actually had gotten a few because of the incident that had transpired a little while ago. Though, he only ever got them after his adrenaline wore off, and when he was somewhere quiet.

He flushed when he remembered having one in his office earlier. He had just gotten out of yet another meeting, and was several hours into paperwork when it happened. It was just... People were blaming him for the robots turning, and he has barely gotten any sleep, and the stacks of papers were just so high.

It took Winter an hour to calm him down. Not to mention, she babied him for the rest of the day. Though, it was nice for someone to worry about him for a change. Bring him snacks. Made sure he took breaks. He wouldn't have been able to finish his work without her, even if she did slow the process down a bit.

Suddenly, his thoughts wandered to Qrow, and his alcohol problems. That man would ruin his good looks, as well as his body if he kept drinking at that pace. James was not afraid to admit that Qrow was attractive, though that didn't necessarily mean that James had a crush on him. Plus, even if he did, it would never work out. James was too strict, and Qrow would probably drive James insane.

Suddenly, the water turned cold, and James had realized that he had been thinking about all of that while in the shower. He turned the water off, and, after banging his head against the wall a few times, got dressed. He unconsciously clenched and unclenched his metal hand. His machines only reminded him of Penny, but he tried to focus on other things. James knew that the girl wouldn't want him morning her, so he didn't.

He breathed deeply as he wandered the hallway towards the kitchen. A glass of premium Atlas red wine would help him relax a bit. Nothing's wrong with having a glass once in a while, he just didn't abuse it and get drunk. James preferred to have his mind clear, and in full control of his body. 

As he entered the kitchen, he eyed Qrow's flask that sat atop the counter. James would have to get it back to him sometime, but it was unlikely. His and Qrow's relationship has already been strained enough, but after the whole 'incident' Qrow probably hated him.

James breathed deeply again, filling a glass with wine. After putting the bottle back in the fridge, he swirled the glass, then took a sip. It was fruity. James really liked fruity wines. Don't judge, it's just a preference. It's not like he chose to like them, it's just how he was.

He walked to his lounge, listening to his footsteps as he went. It relaxed him for some reason. Perhaps it was because his footsteps were the only ones he could hear. James' metal foot clunked against the ground, as his flesh one made a soft patting noise.

Clunk, pat, clunk, pat, clunk, pat. Sipping of the wine. Heavy sigh, dropping shoulders. The sound of a tired man rubbing his face. The feel of his wet hair sticking to his forehead, and beads of water still running down his face and neck. Perhaps he should speak with his therapist again.

He was sipping the wine as he opened the door to his living room, only to spit it all over the his hardwood floor. No way. No way! "What?" He managed to choke out, the glass slipping out of his hand, and shattering on the floor.

The man on the other side of the room watched in amusement, a small smile decorating his face. He pushed his glasses to the bridge of his nose, and leaned against his cane. "Well, hello James." He drawled, voice low and mysterious as it always was.

"I need to talk with you."

James blinked, shook his head, and blinked again. Wasn't this man dead? Was he standing before a ghost?

"O-Ozpin?"


	5. Smile

Roman was betrayed. He had trusted Cinder. He had put his faith in her, only to be abandoned again. He had been used. He's always used, and is always discarded whenever he's deemed no longer needed.

He finished off the last of his cigar, and immediately pulled out another. He knew chain smoking like this was an awful habit, but what else was he supposed to do. Roman would survive, even if it meant he had to do grizzly things. Just like when he was swallowed by the Grimm a little while ago. He stuck his cane through whatever tube he was stuck in, before he reached the stomach of course, then shot a hole through it's belly.

He grimaced when he remembered the smell. It smelled like human vomit mixed with a week old corpse. His clothes were unsalvageable, and his cane still faintly reeked of it.

Right now, it was the middle of the night. He was sitting on the ledge of a low bridge, his dangling feet almost able to touch the water. He had even taken his shoes off, in hopes of being able to soak his feet, but it was clear that that wouldn't happen. 

He took another drag from his cigar, letting it warm him. What was he supposed to do now? Where was he supposed to go? He had nothing, everything had been ripped away from him. He couldn't even find Neo.

Roman clenched and unclenched his jaw, fighting off tears. Criminals don't cry, not even if they regret what they've done. Not even if they wished so desperately for a second chance. There was no such thing as redeeming yourself. Not in the real world. Sure, it's a beautiful thing in stupid sappy movies, but in the real world, there was only such a thing as pity.

He took another puff, then another, then another, until that cigar was gone too. Of course, he lit another. What was this, the sixth, the seventh one he's smoked within the span of thirty minutes? This would become an awful habit if he kept it up at this pace.

He stayed there until he ran out of cigars. Dawn started to set fire to the sky, and he was faintly shivering. Nights were cold, but what could he do. He had no shelter from the harsh wind. All he could do was endure, and persevere. 

Roman sighed, and put his head in his hands. Despite his best efforts, tears dripped between the cracks in his fingers, and his breath started to hitch. He tried to stop, but he wasn't strong enough to. Pathetic. Crying like a child. What a man he was.

"Hey, you okay?" A voice spoke from behind him. No, no one could see him like this. He would be considered an even bigger joke than he already was.

Roman immediately wiped his face, and turned to face.... The blonde monkey faunus kid. The one who could never wear a shirt properly. What was his name- Sam? Sammy? Sam, it was definitely Sam. 

"Oh, hey." Roman drawled, putting the fake smile he always wore back on his face. "What are you doing here? Come to arrest me?" He noticed that the boy didn't even react when Roman revealed his face. Did... Did Sam recognize him? It must be the clothes. Roman was practically dressed like a bum right now.

"I'll answer your questions if you answer mine!" The guy gave a childish grin that made Roman want to punch him in the face. How did a kid like that manage to get so far in the tournament?

"Im fine." Roman said, turning his body to face the kid. "How are you, Sam?" He purposely stressed the 'you,' and hoped the boy got the hint to leave him alone.

"Sam? Who's Sam?" Roman snapped his fingers. He was so sure he had gotten that right. "I'm Sun, not Sam." That sentence was accompanied with a childish laugh that made Roman want to jump in the river. Why was this kid so happy? It didn't make sense!

"But, I'm fine. How are you?" Sun asked, rubbing his hands together in the cold morning air. Roman gritted his teeth again. He had just answered that. Seriously, how stupid was this kid?

"I've already answered that question, Sun." He gritted out, hand clenching tightly around his cane. To his complete and utter despair, the monkey cocked his head to the side, and smiled.

"But that didn't count!"

"Why doesn't it count?" He was about five seconds away from strangling this kid, maybe less. He wished he hadn't smoked all of his cigars, because he really needed one right now.

"Because you lied." Those words were like a punch to the stomach, and the bluntness certainly didn't help. After a moment, Roman realized that he was just staring like an idiot.

"I didn't lie." He said, smiling and laughing. He didn't know why he felt the need to convince Sun of this, but Roman was. Unfortunately, that was the opposite of what happened. Instead, Sun narrowed his eyes in suspicion, and made a disapproving face. "I didn't!"

"Uh-huh." Sun said, tail swaying around behind him. Roman wanted nothing more than to grab that tail, and nail it to Sun's leg. The thing was just too distracting. "Sure, whatever you s-" the boy was cut off by his scroll dinging. It was obviously someone the kid liked from the way his face lit up.

"Sorry, I have to go. Neptune's waiting for me at the movies!" Sun said, beginning to jog off in a random direction. Roman took this as the time to make a snide remark, like he always did.

"What, is he your boyfriend?"

"Yeah!" Well that took the fire out of it. Couldn't he insult people without it turning in the wrong direction anymore?

Suddenly, he heard Sun's voice call out to him again. "Remember to smile!" The boy was almost out of sight now, and his voice was faint in Roman's ears.

"I was smiling!" He called back. He always smiled. It was one of his things.

"No you weren't." With those words said, Sun was gone, and Roman was in a stunned silence.

That made no sense. Roman was smiling the entire time. What.. What was wrong with this kid?


	6. Winter

Qrow groaned, rolling onto his stomach, and burying his face in his arms. He had no idea where he was, but he knew that he was going to die. His body was trembling, and low whines escaped his throat without his consent.

The rain had stopped only a few minutes ago, but he had collapsed long before that happened. Qrow was not very deep in the woods. He had no idea why he had originally thought that it would be smart to wander out here, but he did. Now he was cold, wet, and covered in mud.

His skin burned. It was hard to breathe, his body convulsed painfully. He dug his nails into his arms in an attempt to alleviate the pain, and managed to make shallow scratches. Warmth bubbled from them, so Qrow was fairly sure that they were bleeding. He guessed, because he refused to look up. He refused to look for the surface when he had already sunk so deep.

"Qrow?" It was a woman's voice. A familiar one. He looked up to see none other than the bane on his existence. Winter Schnee.

"You," he growled, pushing himself to sit on his knees. "What are you doing here, Ice Queen?"

She actually looked concerned. It felt unreal seeing her like this, especially since she didn't wear that serious face that made her look constipated. No matter how hard Qrow looked, he couldn't find an ounce of pity on her, and it frustrated him to no end.

"I just felt like taking a stroll." She said, sounding as regal as ever. "What are you doing here?"

Qrow stood, feeling the mud dripping off him. Grimacing as his scratches stung. Since they were shallow, that had most likely stopped bleeding, but he wasn't one to speak in absolutes.

"Looking for the king of fairies."

She huffed, a small smile appearing on her face. "Hmm." She said, her head tilting to the side. "I could have sworn that you were the king of fairies, Qrow."

He staggered backward. Did... did she just crack a joke? Her? If that was the case, then Qrow must have been in pretty bad shape.

"Are you alright?" She asked, giving him a one-over. "You seem... Distressed."

"You seem uptight. Maybe you should fix that before you start analyzing me." Qrow snapped, but it didn't seem to faze her.

"I apologize, but I'm not the one who's trembling. Not to mention, you're bleeding, and covered in filth." She said briskly, making Qrow flinch.

"Yeah, well I'm not the one with a stick up my a-"

"That's enough, Qrow!" Winter hissed, effectively cutting him off. "I understand you're feeling down, but that is not a reason for you to make a nuisance of yourself."

Qrow sighed, and actually looked defeated. "I know." He stuffed his hands into his pockets, before turning and walking away.

"Qrow?" He heard Winter's voice call out from behind him, but he didn't respond. "I wish you luck Qrow." That only made him walk faster.


	7. A Mish-mash of Perspectives

Roman was at the bridge again. Rain was pelting down, which it seemed to be doing a lot recently, and due to that the water had raised a bit. The tips of Roman's toes were able to touch the water, and that made him a bit happy.

Though, the heavy rain prevented him from smoking. He didn't really mind. The only reason he smoked was to calm himself, rain had the same effect.

It cooled him off, and slowed his mind. It was better that way, because this may be surprising, but Roman tended to overthink things. That's why he was usually so spontaneous. That way, he couldn't think about what he was doing.

Suddenly, the feeling of rain pelting his skin had stopped, and the shadow over him had grown darker. He turned around, only to see Sam- Sun standing over him, holding drinks in one hand, blanching food boxes in another, and carrying the umbrella with his tail.

"Heya." He said, looking down at Roman with a boyish grin. "How you doing?"

"... Hi." That was all Roman could say. What was he supposed to? This kid came back to see him. No one ever does that willingly.

"Mind if I sit?" Sun asked, but he sat down beside Roman before the man could answer.

"Why ask if you were going to anyway?" Roman asked, already starting to get annoyed with the boy. What was with this kid? Why did he want to hang out with a criminal?

"Eh..." Sun looked a bit sheepish, but perked up after a moment, for some reason unknown to Roman. The young faunus then offered Roman one of the food boxes.

"What? Did you poison it?" Roman asked, taking the box warily. He never did trust a person's kindness. It's one of the things that had taken him so far in the criminal world.

"Nahhh," Sun said, setting a drink beside the criminal. "If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it when you were crying."

Roman snarled, taking a bite of his food. "I was not crying."

"Sure dude. Whatever."

~

James had been housing Ozpin for a few days now. He was still trying to comprehend the fact that Ozpin was still alive. He had thought the man to be dead, only to be slapped on the face and proven wrong.

He had just woken up, so he went up to get a drink. When he did, he saw that Ozpin had already made him a glass of water. How the man knew other people's needs before they themselves did was a mystery to James, but it wasn't entirely unwelcome either.

As James drank his water, he noticed that Ozpin was fiddling with something. It was Qrow's flask, and, judging by the look on his face, he obviously wasn't happy that it was in James' possession. 

"Do you mind if I ask why you have this?" Ozpin asked, holding the flask out to James. "Last I remembered, Qrow was pretty attached to this."

James sighed, running a tired hand over his face. "It's a long story, but I'm sure you'll want to hear it anyways. Am I right on that?"

Ozpin smiled, setting the flask back on the counter. "I believe you've pegged me correctly. Take as long as you like."

So, James told Ozpin everything. From how he took Qrow home, to the part where Qrow had jumped out his window. Even the part where James was immensely worried about it afterwards, and ran around town looking for the drunk.

"I see." Ozpin said after a moment, processing everything that James had told him. "You really do care about him, don't you?" 

"What?"

Ozpin smiled. "Nothing," he said, leaning back against the counter. "Nothing at all."

~ 

Ruby was feeling down. She's been in her head too much, mostly because there was nothing to distract her. Yang avoided her, she hasn't seen Qrow since he told her the truth about her silver eyes, and her dad wouldn't let her out of the house. Weiss was in Atlas doing who knows what, Blake had run away, and Penny was... Penny was gone.

She looked out her window, longing to run to her friends. To find her team. To forget what she has seen and experienced.

She's had too many people leave her. Needless to say, Ruby was tired of it. Tired of everything being so horrible.

All she wanted to do was go out and help people, but now was not the time. She couldn't do it with Taiyang hovering around her so much. She had to wait. She had a plan.

Right now Ruby was watching T.V. She was watching cartoons of course, as everything else was too downhearted right now. All anything else was was news reports about all the stuff that had happened recently.

There were so many outrageous theories, so many people accusing Beacon of training murderers, she couldn't stand it. Things were grim, but she couldn't show how much it was affecting her. Then her dad would worry, and he already had plenty to deal with.

She tried talking to Yang about it, but like any other time she went into Yang's room, she was yelled at, and told to leave. Yang used to be so happy, and now she was miserable. It broke Ruby's heart to see her sister like this, but there wasn't anything she could do.

But one thing was certain. If she ever saw Adam Taurus, ever, she would kill him on sight. There would be no mercy. The only thing there would be, was revenge.

"Hey, Ruby." Her dad's voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

"You alright?" He asked, worry shinning through his purple eyes. "You look really deep in thought."

"Yeah," she lied, throwing on a cute smile. "I'm fine."


	8. Withdrawal

Qrow came to in an unfamiliar place. He had no idea where he was, only that his head was pounding, and that he was freezing. His breathing was raged, and he was sinking deeper.

As he woke up more, he started to recognize it. This was James' house. It was the room he slept in last time. Why was he here? How did he get here?

Just as expected, he didn't have his flask, he was shirtless, his shoes were gone, and it felt as if bugs were crawling under his skin. He... He couldn't deny this any longer. He needed a drink, and he needed it now. He was burning, the room was blurring.

He dug his nails into his arm, trying to alleviate the pain, but it didn't work. Tears welled in Qrow's eyes. Just how long has he been sleeping? It must have been pretty long if he was going through this kind of withdrawal.

His ragged breathing turned to hurried pants, desperate to get some air into his lungs. Each breath burned, and his body was on fire. Sweat beaded on his forehead, he writhed in bed. He choked, not able to breathe. He was going to die. He was drowning. He didn't want to die. He didn't want to die yet-

"Qrow?" A voice echoed from far away. It was muffled by water, the word so faint that he could barely hear it. Who was Qrow? He was Qrow, right? Yes, yes he was Qrow.

"Qrow!" Something pulled his hand away from his arm, most likely so that Qrow would stop making himself bleed. One of it's hands was warm and soft, and the other cold and harsh. This was James.

"Listen, you need to breathe." The voice was growing louder. James must have been shouting.

Qrow could hardly make out what the other man was saying. But, once you learn a language, it's rather hard to unlearn it. So, Qrow tried to do what James had said. He tried to draw in a breath, but his efforts were in vain. He attempted  to draw a breath, but water came in instead of air, resulting in more choking from him. 

Suddenly, his hands were placed on someone's chest, most likely James'. "Here," he heard James' voice say, "like this. Imitate me."

Two arms shot below the surface of the water, reaching out for Qrow. They would not go under, however. If Qrow wanted to get to them, he would have to swim there himself.

The chest moved, and Qrow's vision cleared up just enough to see James pulling off big exaggerated breaths. Qrow tried to mirror James' actions, but the process was slow. After a while, Qrow's breathing was ragged, but he wasn't panting anymore. 

He had grabbed hold of the hands.

"Qrow," another voice called, pulling him back to reality. "Are you back to the land of the living yet?" 

That voice, it sounded familiar. It couldn't be him... Could it?

Qrow slowly turned his head to the side, only to see Ozpin himself standing in the corner of the room. "O-Oz?" Qrow asked, happiness and relief flooding his body.

But after a moment, that happiness molded into anger. "Oz..." He growled, throwing as much venom into his glare as he could. Though, he couldn't get up and confront the man right now, as his body was weak, and burning, and James was all but sitting on him.

"Hello, Qrow." Ozpin greeted, as if this were a normal occurrence. 

Qrow felt his blood boiling, that, accompanied with his body burning, made sweat droplets run down his face. In that moment, he wanted to both hug Oz, because he wasn't dead, and to rip him limb from limb, because he wasn't dead. What kind of friend would hide the fact that they were alive?

"I thought you were dead." Qrow hissed, causing the older man to grimace.

"I know. I am sorry for not letting you know earlier, but-"

"On top of that, you told Jimmy before you told me, didn't you?" That was safe to assume, considering James was acting as normal as ever with a dead man in the room.

Each word Qrow said seemed to physically hurt Ozpin. It serves the man right. He sat back and watched as Qrow sunk deeper and deeper into the unforgiving waters.

"I'm sorry Qrow. I truly am."

Qrow huffed, attempting to sit up. All his tries were in vain, as James pushed him back on the bed each time. Qrow, too weak to retaliate, eventually accepted defeat, and curled up on the bed. He felt like he was shattering. Perhaps he already had. Maybe he didn't notice just how bad it actually hurt.

Qrow shivered as angry tears dripped onto the pillow beneath him. He ignored all attempts at conversation afterwards. He didn't even ask for a beer.

He felt all of this, accompanied with the boiling temperature of the room, and the feeling of pins and needles all over his body.

Slowly, he drifted into a dark and heavy sleep. It wasn't pleasant, and nightmares in-prisoned him within his own mind. But, what could he do? Nothing.


	9. Mixed Feelings

Ruby's heart was pounding as she ran away from home. Jaune, Ren, and Nora helped ground her, but with each step she took, it felt less and less like reality. She's sure that she was shaking, but she kept walking.

She knew that her dad would be worried. She knew that she would have to run and hide as he looked for her, but she couldn't keep sitting back and doing nothing. Ruby just hoped that he would be able to forgive her. 

She rubbed her sweaty palms on her dress, and tried to keep her breathing even. Oh, she had never done this before. She had never done something so.... what's the word? Betraying flashed through her mind, and guilt struck her like lightning. 

She honestly felt like she was going to puke. Actually, she had thrown up in her mouth a few times so far. Though that may be, and even though she was nervous, she would not back down. There were people that needed help. There was evil in the world that needed vanquished.

"I'm getting kinda hungry! Ah, we should definitely get some food! Let's get some food guys! Don't you want food Ren?" Nora asked, snapping Ruby out of her thoughts.

It was a smart idea to bring Nora along. She was always positive, and bubbly, and she could always lighten a mood, no matter how solemn the mood may seem. Yes, she could be a bit annoying at times, but she was just being herself.

"We've only been waking for ten minutes Nora. The next town is about thirty minutes away." Ren replied, not reacting as she tugged on his arm roughly.

Soon, she was rambling on about a different topic, and Ruby had started to retreat back into her previous thoughts. Luckily, before she could, Jaune started talking to her.

"Hey, whatcha thinking about?" 

Ruby smiled, and looked up at Jaune. A small blush dusted her cheeks, but it was relatively unnoticeable. She had a small crush on him, but it would never work. He was two years older than her, and, not to mention, the girl that he was in love with died. So, she would just get herself over this childish crush, as painful as it may be.

"Food." 

Jaune gave an exaggerated groan, putting his head in his hands. "Oh no, not you too." He sighed, his arms dropping limp at his sides, and his shoulders slouched. "You guys will blow all of our money if you start using it right off the bat."

Nora, obviously exited by the word food, started going on and on about the possible restaurants they could go to, and when they arrived at a small town, she began running around looking for a place to eat. It took an hour and a half before Ren could finally calm her down. She kept bringing up the topic so much, they finally gave in and went to the cheapest restaurant they could find.

Ruby smiled, rubbing her full stomach as she walked side by side with her friends. She knew that this had hurt her father, and she knew that the risks were big, but she couldn't regret this decision, no matter how hard she tried. They were going to make a difference. They were going to help people.

~

Roman was at his usual place on the bridge, smoking a cigar, and staring into the water. This had become a routine for him honestly. What else was he supposed to do? He was a criminal, and if anyone recognized him, it would be the end of this peace.

He couldn't remember a time when he could just sit and relax. It was always slave labor, or heists, or trouble, or meetings. It was nice.

But, it was going to be interrupted soon. That faunus, Sun, was bound to arrive any second. It was like the kid actually enjoyed Roman's presence. As if that wasn't strange enough, Sun had brought his boyfriend with him today.

Now, Neptune didn't seem to trust Roman, and that was a reaction that the crook was used to. It wasn't alien, and he actually preferred it to the way Sun gushed all over him.

But, a thought came to his mind. If he didn't want the attention, then why didn't he force them to leave him alone? Why wasn't he more forceful about having them leave?

Perhaps it was loneliness? A fear of isolation? Yes, that just may be it.

Sure, he had never been close to anyone, but he had always had the buzz of people around him. Their conversations echoing off the walls, and the occasional bumping of the elbows if he accidentally walked to close.

But, isolation was new to him. Complete and utter isolation was numbing. It was horrid to experience.

"Dude, you're zoning out again!" Sun said loudly, snapping Roman out of his daze. "I'm trying to tell a story here!"

Roman huffed, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the teen's antics. He looked at Sun, who was leaning against Neptune, tickling the other boy's nose with his tail. Neptune blew air out of his nose harshly, but Sun paid no mind.

"Anyway, so after Glynda was chasing after us, right. Apparently lighting firecrackers in the bathrooms at Beacon is a huge no go! So me and Sage..." Sun droned on, and Roman was starting to drift off again.

This kid was really annoying. Roman had no idea why Sun was deciding to stick around, but there was nothing he could do. But, deep deep down, he was glad to not be alone anymore, 

Of course, he would never admit that.


	10. Snapped

Qrow writhed, and cried, and thrashed against James and Ozpin. They had caught him about to take a drink of wine, and immediately stopped him. It was just one drink, couldn't he have just one drink? He was an adult anyway, and he had the right to.

He didn't understand why they were making sure he ate, and checked in on him, and wouldn't let him drink. He hated it, but he was too weak and sick to do anything about it. Don't they understand, Qrow has been drunk since he was twenty one? That made it so much worse than it had to be.

He cried, yelling, "Please, just one drink. I want to have it. Let me drink."

Then James, ever the conversationalist, said, "No." Short and simple. Painful and overbearing.

How could he so easily deny Qrow of this? How could he so easily choose pain over paradise? He was heartless. James was a machine anyways, it really shouldn't be this surprising.

"You're drowning, Qrow."  Ozpin snapped from where he was still trying to get the bottle out of his hand. "Can't you see that."

Everything froze. Drowning. Drowning.

He collapsed on the ground, curling up, and crying. James had been the one comforting him. Ozpin had just stood there and watched.

He felt like a prisoner. He felt like they were torturing him. He just wanted to get away from those monsters who caused him to go through this agony.

But he couldn't. He could hardly stand on his own, how was he supposed to sneak away from the head of Beacon, and a military general? It was unfair.

After he was calmed down, he was made to eat, and pushed back in bed. Without his consent, he was made to rest. Without his consent, he was made to sleep.

He woke up crying. When James went to comfort Qrow, he pushed James away. He didn't want comfort. He didn't want this.

"Qrow, let me help." James said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Qrow growled, pushing himself away from the metal monstrosity. "No. You... You stay away from me." His voice was ragged, and it took a lot of effort to make his voice not sound weak. "I don't want you anywhere near me."

Something flickered across James' face. Qrow wasn't sure what it was, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Nothing mattered right now.

"Qrow, I'm only doing what's best for you. I need you to understand, I'm not trying to hurt you." James reached out to Qrow again, but his hands were slapped away.

"I don't care. I said to keep away from me, why can't you do me this?" 

Qrow watched as the general ground his teeth. "Qrow, I care about you, and I want to help. Stop being so-"

"Newsflash Jimmy, I never asked for your help. I never asked for you to care. Frankly, I could care less!

Oh no, I drink. Am I hurting your precious little feelings? Then leave, and try not to make any noise with your thick metal skin as you go! I don't want your help. I don't need your help. Find someone else to waste your time on." 

"Qrow-" James tried to cut in, but Qrow wasn't having it.

"No! I get that you're a general, and you have some sort of stupid hero complex, but I'm not some useless damsel in distress. If you wanted that, you could go and talk to that Jaune Ark kid.

I'm telling you this from the bottom of my heart, I don't like you. Quite frankly, I hate you. I hate your attitude, I hate the way you talk, I hate the fact that you act like this stuck up regal pushover, and I hate that you can't seem keep your nose out of other people's business. I don't want your help, get that through your thick metal head. Leave. Me. Alone."

There was a thick, smothering silence in the room. James sat there, face blank, and body completely still. Qrow was catching his breath after his longwinded rant, watching James' expression.

Qrow was ready to shout his victory from the rooftops. At first, that is. After a moment, he had realized what he said. That's when the guilt started to settle in.

"James..." He didn't know what to say. He wasn't used to apologizing.

"Save it." James said, turning away from Qrow. "I don't want to hear what you're about to say." James' voice shook as he spoke, causing the ocean itself to rumble.

Qrow said nothing as James stood, and did nothing as James walked to the door. "I am going to assume that you're in withdrawal, and you feel horrible, and that was the reason you said all of those things." The general never turned to face Qrow as he spoke.

"I understand that you may not want my help now. I understand that to you, I may seem like this big bad villain who is forcing you to be hurt, and be miserable, so I am not going to take what you say to heart. And Qrow... I definitely understand that what I am doing right now, is the thing I should be doing.

I care about you, and I don't want to see you drown. Just because you don't want my help doesn't mean you're not going to get it." With that, James walked out of the room, leaving Qrow alone, floating on his own.


	11. A Rescue in Different Ways

Walking was one of the most boring things known to mankind. Just one foot after the other in a soul sucking rhythm that left you desperate for any other kind of stimulation. That was Ruby's opinion, anyway.

She huffed, kicking a pebble around. At least that took some brainpower, but it did nothing to cure her boredom. So, with one particularly strong kick, she launched it in the air, sending it somewhere unseen.

Suddenly, there was a weight placed atop her shoulder. She honestly was expecting Jaune, but got Ren instead. After all, Jaune has been on her case ever since she ran away in the first place. Always asking if she was okay, always being sugar sweet. It was annoying in all honesty. She got that he was looking out for her, but she wasn't some little kid. She could handle a minor hiccup in her bright sparkly personality. She would always bounce back. She always did.

"Hey, Ruby. Do you mind if we talk for a moment?" He asked, giving her a small smile.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" She asked.

"I have noticed that you have been a bit down lately, so I just wanted to talk with you about it." Ren answered, guiding Ruby away from the others so that they could talk privately. 

"Okay?" Ruby said awkwardly. She didn't really know what to do in situations like these.

"Now, what has been eating you recently. You've been uncharacteristically subdued and solemn."

Ruby sighed, fiddling with her cape. "I don't know." She looked to the ground, and bit her lip. "It's just... All those things happened, and Yang's been a jerk lately, and then I ran away, and now I feel really, really bad, because I left dad all alone. Not to mention, I haven't seen Uncle Qrow in a really long time. OH! Dad must be looking for me, huh? What if he catches me, and makes me go back home? Jeez, I'll be in a lot of trouble if he does. I really don't want him to yell at me, because it makes me cry, and then he starts crying, and then it gets really akwar-"

She was cut off by Ren placing his hand over her mouth. "Remember to breathe, Ruby. Breathing is important, remember?"

Ruby flushed in embarrassment, and pulled the offending hand off of her. "Yeah, I know that. It's kinda essential for living, doofus." She said, nudging his arm playfully.

Ren smiled, his pink eyes shining. "See, there's the Ruby I know." He ruffled her hair, causing his younger to squawk indignantly. "Listen, I know that you have a lot going on right now, but never forget that you have friends that are willing to sit down, and talk with you, alright?"

Ruby sighed, but nodded. She had heard this enough from her dad, and just about everyone else. She was trying to move on, but doing so wasn't always an easy process. Especially when she was too slow to save her friend. 

"One of the important things to being a huntress is a healthy mind. You can't be distracted on the battle field. Distractions cause mistakes, and mistakes cost lives." Ren had a point. Ren always had a point. It was like he was some sort of super smart ninja genius that you could always count on.

It was fortunate that he was on their side, wasn't it?

"REEEEEEN! What are you two doing over there? Are you guys having a heart to heart? Oh, can I be a part of it too? Pleeeeaaaase?" The two turned to Nora, who was clasping her hands together, and pulling the best set of puppy eyes that she could muster.

Ruby let out a small laugh, looking at her friend. "Sure, Nora," she said, a big smile painting her face. "You can join us."

~

Guess where Roman was again. The bridge. It was like he lived there or something. Wait, he actually did live there now. He was homeless ever since everything hit the fan.

He was smoking a cigar, like he usually was. He also may or may not have been waiting for the appearance of a certain blonde faunus that seemed to be so insistent upon becoming friends with him. Could you blame him? He couldn't go in public because he would get arrested in five seconds flat.

It gets awfully lonely being wanted. He honestly couldn't remember the last time he had a friend that hadn't tried to stab him, or sell him out for money. It was nice to have someone you could have a laugh with, and be annoyed by at the same time.

"Roman!" He heard a familiar voice yell.

When the criminal turned his head to look, he was expecting Sun to be bounding over with a care free attitude, and a smile firmly planted on his face. What he saw was a different story.

Sun was running over alright, but he looked anything but happy. In fact, if Roman were to infer, the kid looked pretty darn terrified. It was a look that Roman didn't like to see on the young boy's face.

Neptune was right behind him carrying the same expression. He had a bag slung over his shoulder, and was panting as if he had run for miles on end. They both had a look of desperation that had the hardened criminal a bit worried.

"Roman, we gotta go, now!" Sun yelled, skidding to a stop in front of him. 

"What?" He asked, throwing his half-smoked cigar into the water below. "Why? Did something happen?"

"Did something happen?" Neptune asked sarcastically, tossing his bag at the red-head. "Obviously something happened to make us come running over here!"

Roman glared at him, and asked, "Well, are you going to tell me or what? It's like you heard that the world's gonna end."

"Yeah, for you!" Sun tore the bag out of Roman's grasp, opening it up only to dump whatever was inside onto Roman's lap.

The continents were... a bit unusual. There was a brown wig, a different set of clothes, and a poorly made fake ID. Why would they have this?

"Listen, someone called in saying that they saw you around in the park, and any second now the police are going to come and tear everything limb from limb." Roman's blood chilled at that. It was devastatingly boring in Ironwood's prison. He couldn't go back to one of those! There were several points in time where he had seriously considered bashing his head into the wall until he put himself into a coma. Not to mention, because of the whole fiasco that went on, he would surely be killed.

Though he was internally panicking, he calmly responded, "Alright. Thanks for warning me, I guess."

He changed quickly, as it was something he was used to doing, and headed off with the boys. 

Where they were going, he didn't know, but he followed them anyways. He... he trusted them, and he really hoped that doing so wouldn't be a mistake.


	12. Admissions

As Qrow opened his eyes, guilt consumed him. He felt bad for saying all of that to James. Sure, the man won't let him drink, but he didn't deserve foul treatment. He only had Qrow's best interest at heart.

Which brought him to this. Finally admitting to himself that he had a problem. Finally realizing that he needed help with his drinking, and whatever else was eating him.

It was tearing him away from his family, whom he hasn't seen in months. It was making him angrier, and more impulsive. Plus, hangovers sucked. As in, really sucked.

Sure, being a little buzzed was one thing, but being completely wasted was another. He couldn't be expected to defend himself if he could hardly stand. He was a hunter, he was the one who's supposed to protect people. When citizens look at him, they're supposed to see someone who's willing to do anything for the kingdom. Instead, they see a miserable drunk who couldn't run twenty feet without passing out.

Who would feel protected with that?

He sat up, running a hand through his greasy hair. Geez, how long has it been since he had last showered? It must have been more than four days, that's for sure. That's about the time that it shows that he hasn't cleaned himself.

He felt nauseous, dizzy, and he ached like an old man, but he'd be damned if he didn't talk to Jim. He was a man, and real men knew when to apologize when they did wrong. Those who couldn't were only boys with big words.

As he swung his feet over the edge, and placed his feet on the cold floor, he wondered what exactly he was going to say. Should he start off with an apology? Should he just say, "you were right?"

Qrow padded his way to the kitchen, where he saw the metal man making himself a cup of coffee. He didn't seem to notice that Qrow had entered the room yet, so that was a plus. 

Qrow steeled himself. He had faced wars, torture, the grimm, and about a billion other things. If he could keep his cool then this would be no problem. It was a simple confrontation. Just words between old friends.

But, that was the thing. The grimm were only mindless monsters. The torturers, assassins, terrorists, and whatever else were all strangers. He didn't have to worry about losing them.

With personal relationships like this, it was terrifying. James could leave. He could abandon Qrow entirely. Then where would he go?

He was just a washed up old drunk who could hide what he truly thinks from everyone, except for James. He was the only man who could read Qrow like a book. He was the only man who noticed that something was wrong before Qrow went on his downward spiral. 

Qrow shook his head. If he stayed in his mind like that, he would never get anything done. That was enough thinking.

"Hey..." 

James spun around quickly and met Qrow's gaze. "Oh." Short and quick. James was still mad. Of course he would be. "Good morning, Qrow."

Qrow gave an awkward smile, because he didn't know what else to do. "Hey, Jimmy."

James only hummed, before turning back to the coffee. 

Qrow swallowed, before walking over and standing next to the man. He leaned his elbows on the counter, trying to find the words to say. What could he? Words could never be taken back. They could only be forgotten.

Now or never. "You were right." He hated saying it, but it was the truth. This was embarrassing, but it had to be done.

"Well, I'm right about many things. Which one are you admitting to this time?" James said, bringing the steaming mug of coffee to his lips. 

Qrow rolled his eyes. Of course this old man would be amused at being right, even is he was still mad. "About me needing help, Jimbo." He said, causing James to look surprised.

"Huh." He took a sip, and set the mug on the counter. "I never thought I'd see the day you'd admit to it. I just thought you wouldn't say anything, but start helping yourself after time." 

"What, do you think I'm a kid or something?"

"I don't think, I know."

He lightly pushed James, and the two laughed, just as old friends would. 

"You want coffee?" James asked, gesturing to the half-filled pot. "Because, I think we should finally talk now that you're willing."

Qrow sighed, before nodding his head. 

"Yeah." He ran a hand down his face, his shoulders drooping. "Coffee would be nice."

As James reached up into an open cupboard to grab another cup, Qrow spoke again.

"Thanks, Jim."

Ironwood shook his head, turning to face Qrow with a blue plastic cup in hand. The man had an amused glint in his eye as he said, "You should be thanking me. You're a real piece of work, you kno-"

He was cut off by Qrow punching him in the chest.


	13. Drown

A month went by before anyone could blink. It didn't feel like it. For some it went by quickly, and for others it felt like it would never end. 

For a young girl with crimson clothing, it was amazing. After she finally opened up to her team about how she felt, they didn't treat her any different. In fact, they even related to her, each one of them.

They all felt the same. The heart break. The loss. The sense of failure. That was for certain, but it also felt like no one told the whole truth about just how they felt.

No one pried, because that would just be hypocritical. How could they ask others to open up when they refused to do it themselves.

They didn't know if a happy ending was in store for them, but that didn't deter them from their quest.

They turned out better than Roman, however. Or, at least, in theory.

Sun had left to go find Blake a long while ago. He wanted to make sure his friend was safe, and he wanted to aid her however he could in whatever she was doing.

That meant Roman had to stay at Neptune's for a week or two, and it was light hearted and eventful. But, as always, Roman couldn't stand staying in some place for long. The feeling of people caring for him was.... distressing to say the least.

He just wasn't used to it. He hated the feeling that he could actually hurt someone beyond their feelings and broken bones.

He left in the middle of the night, never to be seen again. No note, no evidence of him ever surviving the fall of Beacon. He just vanished.

But, to be fair, it was in the job description.

As for Qrow, well, it went. That's the only real way of describing it. He got sober, he stayed so long enough for James to trust him, and that was that.

There was something that felt rather domestic about living with Ironwood. The bickering, the fun moments, the absolute boredom of living with someone for days on end, the looks stolen when the other wasn't watching, and stares held for just a moment too long. He found that he really didn't mind it.

When he finally decided to stop running from his problems, and contact Tai, he found out that Ruby had run away. Tai was angry at him for ignoring all of the calls, and demanded where he had been.

Qrow didn't answer that, but he also didn't comment on how Tai's voice softened when he vowed to find her.

Just like Roman, Qrow decided to abscond, but he did leave a note, and his old flask bottle.

'Sorry Jimmy, but I have more pressing things to deal with.

I'm sure you'll find some other bird,  
                                -Qrow'

But now, in the present, Qrow watched Ruby walking with her friends. They were so determined to do some good. To change the world.

Qrow huffed a laugh, taking a sip from his new flask. He supposed that if one event could change the world, then a few kids could do the same.

The last of the alcohol was consumed. The moment he left, he caved. It wasn't really about addiction, it was about the willpower to stop. He had none.

"Huh," he thought to himself, smiling at the irony. He cherished the feeling of numbness it gave him. 

A breath in, a breath out.

"I'm never getting better, am I." 

He stood, deciding to start moving, as they had gotten out of sight.

"Never gonna breath on my own," he sung as we walked. "Just gonna keep on drowning."


End file.
